Does Norton Internet Security Slow Down Your Computer?

Q: Will Norton internet security slow down my laptop?

A: The good news is that Norton has always done well in independent testing when it comes to performance, which basically means it should have no effect on your computer. In the last 5 performance tests by AV-Comparatives, which does independent testing of security software, Norton scored 3 out of 3 stars, and in one test performed faster than any other security suite.

In addition to having a great track record when it comes to performance, Norton also offers some performance-boosting features that will help speed up your computer. Norton's Startup Manager helps you pick which programs you want to open during startup, which can determine how quickly your computer boots up. Norton also offers a Bandwidth Awareness app, which will prevent Norton from downloading any large updates to itself when you are using hotspots or any mobile devices that may have a limited amount of bandwidth, which could slow down your computer.

Does this mean that it is guaranteed not to slow down your computer? No. Downloading additional software to your machine always has the chance of slowing down your processing power, especially if you already have a lot of programs running on your computer. But, Norton is one of the fastest security suites that we've seen, and with their extra performance tools, you can optimize your computer to speed it up, even if Norton ends up causing a problem.

To check out our full review of Norton, as well as other security software reviews, check out our compare page, which provides a side-by-side comparison of all the security software suites we review.

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